Town boss Kieran McKenna says the club’s injury problems have provided a considerable challenge and revealed centre-half Dara O’Shea has been playing while still suffering with the back problem which forced him off while playing for the Republic of Ireland during the last international break.

The Blues signed a number of their new additions late in the window and players were starting to settle in when injuries hit in the defence in particular with the likes of Jacob Greaves (hamstring) and Axel Tuanzebe (hand) sidelined for the last few weeks and until after the international break.

While the likes of Sam Morsy (hamstring), Massiomo Luongo (ankle) and Ben Johnson (thigh) are back on the grass, there was a further blow this week with the news that Chiedozie Ogbene will probably be out for the rest of the season having undergone achilles surgery.

“It’s been a challenge, everyone knows how the summer was for us,” McKenna said. “I think we brought in six players pretty much on the Liverpool game or after, so that was a lot of player to integrate late that didn’t do pre-season with us and we’ve had two international breaks since then.

“And when we got some consistency in our backline across the Brighton, Southampton and Aston Villa games, then we’ve lost Axel and Jacob since then.

“Dara O’Shea’s been playing with a pretty severe back injury, I have to say, and he’s shown a lot of courage to be out there every week.

“So that’s the three defenders who played in that run after the first international break as we were trying to settle into the season all either out or playing with big inhibition, and there have been other injuries since.

“You’re going to have a phase over the course of the season, ours has come probably at the point where we’re trying to integrate into the season anyway and integrate a lot of new players, so that makes it a bigger challenge but you can only tackle them head on.

“It’s not been easy but I think last Saturday was a great example of how we need to deal with these challenges, the way that the boys came into the team and on the whole performed.

“You have to take a positive from that and the positive is that we’ve got more players up to speed, almost everyone in the squad now has played Premier League football this season and I know there will be times in the season where we have close to everyone available, big availability, and that will pose a more welcome problem.

“For now, everyone needs to keep stepping up to the mark whenever their opportunities arise.”

Photo: Matchday Images

flykickingbybgunn added 18:34 - Nov 1 This is a squad game now. They are well paid. Players should know that they are expected to step up when needed. Which by and large they do. We as supporters should support them all to the hilt.
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afcfee added 19:11 - Nov 1 Wolfy and Greaves is the best partnership imo
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ArnieM added 20:21 - Nov 1 Woolfenden is a weak CB.... the fact he wasn't pucked to play when O'Shay has a " severe back injury" , frankly speaks volumes about how McKenna views Woolfenden as a first team CB. It wouldnt surprise me if he's gone in January...
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IP9 added 20:28 - Nov 1 Another one here for the Wolfy and Greaves best partnership so far shout. O'Shea has not shown that he is streets ahead of Wolfy to have suddenly upended him in the team. I'd rather a confident defender from a winning championship team than a defender that was just relegated - and battered most weeks - from the same league we're attempting to stay in.
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